Mo Ibrahim

In a world of growing food demand, Africa is home to two-thirds of the world's unexploited arable land.

If you are African, the more educated you are, the less chances you have of getting a job.

Nobody messes with China, nobody messes with the United States, or with Europe, because these are really big entities with a lot of clout and a lot of economic power. They have a place at the table.

You fly for hours and hours and hours over Africa to go from one place to another.

Sudan has been an experiment that resonated across Africa: if we, the largest country on the continent, reaching from the Sahara to the Congo, bridging religions, cultures and a multitude of ethnicities, were able to construct a prosperous and peaceful state from our diverse citizenry, so too could the rest of Africa.

Mobile phones play a really wonderful role in enabling civil society. As well as empowering people economically and socially, they are a wonderful political tool.

Mexico established a unique three-part governing system shared by the government, the information commission and civil society organisations.

What we need in Africa is balanced development. Economic success cannot be a replacement for human rights or participation or democracy... it doesn't work.

Rule of law is the most important element in any civil society.

After the sale of Celtel, I really wanted to give the money back, and I had a number of choices - to go and buy masses of blankets and baby milk or to go into Darfur or Congo. That would have been very nice actually, but it's just like an aspirin: it doesn't deal with the problem.

Most of the money I made has gone back to Africa or is going back to Africa.

Intimidation, harassment and violence have no place in a democracy.